PREVIEW: Ben Rolston CD Release

Ben Rolston CD Release Concert

Little is more exciting for a musician than the long awaited launch of his very first CD. This Friday, April 20th, U of M Music School grad Ben Rolston will be celebrating this very event. “Fables” is a debut creation by the bass player/song writer. All the compositions are original works, written and recorded over the past year.And if you’ve never been to the Kerrytown Concert House, where the show will take place, that alone is worth the ticket. One of the coziest venues in town, the Kerrytown Concert House is the perfect spot to sit back and hear some Friday night jazz. The walls feature rotating works of art by various artists from the area. Currently on display are Cathy Barry’s esoteric, abstract oil paintings, a sight to behold.

A great deal of work has been leading up to this special evening performance. “The songs are from a variety of periods,” said Ben. “Some were written specifically for the CD (For Continuing Curiosity and Wonder, Branches and Bark for example) and some were written earlier and adapted or reworked to be played on the album. The Cd has been a goal of mine since last spring.” And a year later, the work is complete.

The show will feature a slew of well known faces in the U of M music world. Student musicians include Ingrid Racine on trumpet, Marcus Elliot on saxophone, Alex Levine on guitar, Ian Finkelstein on piano, and Julian Allen on drums. Profs who will be joining are Andrew Bishop of the Jazz Department and Steve Rush of The School of Music. Not only is the performance an act of student collaboration but the album design as well. Recent School of Art and Design grad Katharine Drake’s large scale clay sculptures are elements of the album art (see the image below to get a visual). Many aspects of this creation can be attributed to energetic collaboration between campus artists on the rise.

I got an “exclusive” first listen to the entire CD last week. All ten tracks. Some are short, instrumental pieces while others are as long as ten minutes. Most have a jazzy flavor, but some, like (mineral) have a more experimental sound to them (thats my favorite track). One thing I really enjoy about this album is that in every song, the bass has a very commanding presence. They always say you don’t know the bass is there unless it isn’t, but in this case, the deep string sounds take center stage in a refreshing way. Another prop about the album is that it flows comfortable between foreground and background sound. I listened to the whole thing while doing my homework and was able to balance the harmonies with my concentration. But also, I paused at moments to listen only to the rhythms and let it be my entire focus. A great listening experience, this release is bound to be everything the recordings are and more.

To get a listen yourself, check out Ben’s Bandcamp. The site is in development so only one song is currently available (more to come). Click to listen to the track Leafy. The CD will be available at local record stores, itunes, bandcamp, amazon, cdbady, and more, but only after the release. The concert is the first place the CD will be available.

Below is a picture of Ben on bass, Marcus Elliot and Julian Allen playing a gig at Bakers in Detroit.